Tag Archives: platform

Recently, my wife had heart surgery. It was the most amazing technological procedure imaginable. Talk about digital transformation. Robots, fiber optic cables, micro cameras, and digital imagery made it possible for surgeons to go inside her heart and make the necessary repairs. It was easy for me to imagine that the surgeon could have performed the operation at home, miles away from the hospital. There was no cutting. She had no scars other than a couple of tiny pin holes.

My wife came through just fine. That was the good news. The bad news was that although the surgery itself was a miracle of modern technology, the work flow and procedures getting her in and out of the hospital were right out of the 20th century.

“Platform” is a trendy word these days when it comes to discussing technology. According to Wikipedia, a Computing Platform is:

“…in the most general sense, whatever pre-existing environment a piece of software is designed to run within, obeying its constraints, and making use of its facilities. Typical platforms include a hardware architecture, an operating system (OS), and runtime libraries.”

No matter how you define it, we can all agree that a platform is powerful and can offer a lot in terms of support for business. Continue reading →